The School’s work is supported by an advisory board comprised of leading experts from government, industry and the not-for-profit sectors

The School has a multi-academic division management group overseeing its activities

The School also provides opportunities for staff from across the University to participate in research and teaching, and to better influence public policy.

Advisory Board

The Hon John Brumby (Chair)

The Honorable John Brumby

Former Premier of Victoria, has immense experience in public life, serving for more than 10 years as Treasurer and then Premier of Victoria, 6 years as Leader of the Victorian Opposition and 7 years as Federal MHR for Bendigo during the period of the Hawke Government. Since retiring from politics, Mr Brumby has accepted a number of Board positions as well as a joint appointment to both the Melbourne and Monash Universities as a Vice Chancellor's Professorial Fellow. He is Chairman of the Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) Superannuation Fund and an Independent Director of Huawei Technologies (Australia) Pty Limited. Mr Brumby is also a Panel Member of the Federal Government's Review into GST Distribution, Member of the Business and Economics (B&E) Board, Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Melbourne and an Associate of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, also at The University of Melbourne. Mr Brumby is also the Chairman of Trustees of the Joe Welch Bursary Trust and an active member of the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Dr Pradeep Philip

Dr Pradeep Philip

Former Director of Policy in the Office of the Prime Minister of Australia between 2007 and 2009, Secretary of the Victorian Department of Health between 2012 and 2015 (currently Department of Health and Human Services). In September this year Dr Philip has been appointed by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to lead LaunchVic, the new entity constituting the Government's priority start-up initiative established to foster, develop and accelerate entrepreneurship in the Victorian economy.

Ben Hubbard

Ben Hubbard

Former Chief of Staff to Australia's Prime Minister (2011-2013), Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (2007-2009) and Principal Adviser to the Victorian Premier (1999-2002 and 2004-2007). Ben was also Chief Executive Officer of the Victoria Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, the Government agency coordinating the recovery of communities affected by the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

Anna Cronin

Anna Cronin

Commissioner at the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission. Ms Cronin has held a number of senior leadership and policy positions in the Federal, Victorian and Western Australian Governments. She previously led the National Farmers' Federation as Chief Executive Officer for five years. Ms Cronin was most recently the Chief of Staff to the Victorian Premier, Dr Denis Napthine.

Dr Helen Szoke

Dr Helen Szoke

Chief Executive of Oxfam Australia, a human rights advocate who has worked for many years to stop race discrimination in Australia. Dr Szoke served as Australia's Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner, following seven years as the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner.

Judith Troeth AM

Judith Troeth AM

Liberal Senator for Victoria in the Federal Government for 18 years, the first female Member of Parliament in the Agricultural portfolio, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Foresty from 1997 to 2004. She has also been Chair and Deputy Chair of a number of Senate Committees. Currently Chair of the Austin Health Board.

Jennifer Westacott

Jennifer Westacott

Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia since 2011. For over 20 years Jennifer occupied critical leadership positions in the New South Wales and Victorian governments. She was the Director of Housing and the Secretary of Education in Victoria, and most recently was the Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources. From 2005 to 2011 Jennifer was a senior partner and Board Director at KPMG. She is also a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and since 2013 has been a Non-Executive Director of Wesfarmers Limited and Chair of the Mental Health Council of Australia.

Miles Kupa

Miles Kupa

Former Australian diplomat, with extensive experience both overseas and in Canberra. He was High Commissioner to Malaysia (2010-2014) and Singapore (2005-2008). He was Ambassador to Iraq, the Philippines and Thailand, and also had postings in Egypt, France and Indonesia (as deputy head of mission). In Canberra he held a range of senior positions: as head of the Foreign Affairs Branch in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; as head of the Foreign Minister's Office; and in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade including as Deputy Secretary. He concluded his foreign service career in 2014, and is now a part-time consultant.

Dr Ian Watt AO

Dr Ian Watt AO

Former Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet between 2011 and 2014 and head of the Australian Public Service from 2011 until he resigned late 2014. Prior to that, he was Secretary of the Departments of Defence; Finance; and Communications, Information Technology and the Arts between 2001 and 2011. Dr Watt serves on the Boards of Smartgroup Corporation, the Grattan Institute (The University of Melbourne) and O'Connell Street Associates Pty Ltd.

John Lord

John Lord

Founder of Neota Logic where he leads the pack of innovators. John has been instrumental in providing vision and building platforms that advance the law. For example, Neota's been engaged to develop an interactive portal for New Mexico legal aid in a project funded by the Legal Services Corporation; and has collaborated with Georgetown University Law Center on three semester-long courses in which students build Neota Logic applications serving the public interest; partnered with the Australian law firm Plexus. Neota's collaborated with the world's largest employment and labor law firm, Littler Mendelson. In July 2014 John was honoured as a top innovator in the legal industry - "the most interesting, proactive and courageous leader in the world of law, scholarship, and legal technology".

Professor Craig Jeffrey

Professor Craig Jeffery

Director of the Australia India Institute, Professor of Human Geography at The University of Melbourne. He is former Professor of Development Geography at the University of Oxford and Official Fellow of St. John's College. He is a leading authority on South Asian youth and also writes on Indian democracy, educational transformation, globalization, and the 'social revolution' that he sees occurring across India in the Twenty-First Century. Professor Jeffrey is currently leading a large project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council on educated unemployed youth in South Asia. Craig Jeffrey was recently elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and, in addition to his academic work, is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4, Times Literary Supplement, and The Guardian.